Sandra Lee's Bake Sale: Part 2

Bake sales are a treasured part of America, past and present. In times of need, communities band together and share their love of sweets and more and dig a little deeper to support one another and their favorite causes. In keeping with this tradition, Food Network favorite host and writer, Sandra Lee, presents her newest cookbook later this month. Sandra Lee Bake Sale Cookbook, by Sandra Lee, is available on March 29 and, in honor of its release, Sandra will be hosting the World’s Largest Bake Sale on March 29, 2011 at Grand Central Terminal featuring some of the most celebrated chefs and restaurants, with all proceeds benefiting NY Food Banks. This event will be the impetus for bakers from every state in the country to host charitable bakes sales simultaneously that day.

And there's more to love: fifty percent of the future royalties from the book are going to support Feeding America® and Share Our Strength ® No Kid Hungry™, encouraging Americans to host Bake Sales to help end childhood hunger. So enjoy some tempting treats from the pages of the new book over the next few weeks and then help yourself to a copy of all 165 blue-ribbon worthy sweet and savory recipes perfect for bake sales. You can now have your cake, cupcakes, cookies, cobblers, and savory bites and eat them too! Enjoy!

Soft Pretzels

1 loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed (recommended: Bridgford)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup coarse salt
Topping options, recipes follow (in cookbook)

Divide a thawed loaf of bread dough into 14 pieces. Roll each piece into a 16-inch rope and form into a pretzel shape. Cover and refrigerate. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Boil pretzels, 3 at a time, until they rise to the surface. Drain on paper towels. Arrange 3 inches apart on a buttered sheet pan. Brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt or finely grated Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Bake in a 400°F oven for 15 minutes or until brown.

Yields: 14 pretzels
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Blueberry Lattice Cake

Nonstick cooking spray
1 package (18.25 ounces) white cake mix, Duncan Hines®
1 package (4-serving-size) instant white chocolate pudding mix, Jell-O®
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites
1 can (15 ounces) blueberries in light syrup, drained, Oregon®
2 containers (12 ounces each) whipped vanilla frosting, Duncan Hines®
3/4 cup white baking chips, melted, Nestlé®
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted, Domino®/C&H®
Fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Add milk, oil, and egg whites; beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Scrape down the side of bowl; beat on medium for 2 minutes more. Fold in drained blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
For white frosting, in a medium bowl, combine vanilla frosting and melted white baking chips.
To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with 1/2 cup of the white frosting; top with second cake layer. Set aside 11/2 cups of the white frosting. Frost the side and the top of the cake with the remaining white frosting. In a medium bowl, beat powdered sugar and the reserved 1 1/2 cups white frosting on low until combined.
To decorate, insert a basketweave decorating tip into a pastry bag; fill with the powdered sugar-frosting mixture. Starting on the far left edge of cake top, pipe a long stripe of icing straight across top of cake. Cover cake top with additional stripes, spaced 1/4 inch apart. Turn the cake 45 degrees; pipe additional stripes of icing across the original strips, spaced 1/4 inch apart. Pipe a border around top edge of the cake. Garnish cake with fresh blueberries.

Yields: 12 servings
Preparation Time: 70 minutes

Chocolate Strawberry Hearts

1 pouch (17.5 ounces) sugar cookie mix, Betty Crocker®
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, Ghirardelli’s®
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg
White, red, and pink sparkling sugar
1/2 cup strawberry jam, Knott’s®

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together cookie mix, cocoa powder, butter, and egg until dough comes together. Shape mixture into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch heart-shape cookie cuter, cut out shapes. Reroll dough scraps and cut out more cookies until all the dough is used. Space half the cookies 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are light brown. Cool on cookie sheets on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack; cool completely.
Using a 1 1/4-inch heart-shape cookie cutter, cut out the centers of the remaining cookies. Space cut-out hearts 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Arrange the heart centers on another prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are light brown. Cool on cookie sheets on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool completely.
Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the strawberry jam on each of the whole cookies. Top with cut-out cookies. Spread half the cut-out heart centers with some of the remaining jam; top with remaining cut-out heart centers to make tiny heart cookie sandwiches.

Yields: 18-26 sandwich cookies
Preparation Time: 90 minutes

Sandra Lee's Bake Sale: Part 2

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